PODCAST · sports
Volley Talk with Sarah Pavan
by Sarah Pavan
The podcast created for volleyball lovers who want to dig deep into what is going on in NCAA and international volleyball. Hosted by Olympian, World Champion, and former Nebraska Cornhusker All-American Sarah Pavan and her husband, international volleyball coach and stats wizard Adam Schulz, Volley Talk brings you weekly highlights from the world of NCAA and international volleyball. Sarah and Adam also give insights and opinions on feature matches, as well as some hot takes, sharing their knowledge and drawing on decades of experience playing and coaching the game at the highest level.
Episodes
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Upsets Abound in NCAA Volleyball, Impact Freshmen & Difference Makers
In this episode of Volley Talk, we discuss the messy week we just saw in NCAA volleyball. There was a lot of inconsistency across the board with some teams following up big wins by getting upset. There is a lot of parity so far and it is so hard to predict what will happen week to week! We also...
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5 Teams Qualified for LA 2028 Women's Volleyball, Wrigley Field Flop
In this episode of Volley Talk, we discuss two Continental final matchups- Thailand vs China and Italy vs Turkiye. We now have 5 teams qualified for the LA 2028 Olympic Games on the women's side, including the US! There weren't a ton of super exciting matchups in the NCAA this week, but there…
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Nebraska & Pitt Looking Strong, What's the Deal With Texas?
In this episode of Volley Talk, we discuss the first two weeks of NCAA women's volleyball season. Some teams are looking better than expected, and some are looking.... rough. We revisit our Top 5 teams and discuss who will improve most by season's end. Thailand and Canada have earned berths to…
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NCAA 2026 Preseason Top 8, Canada Takes Down USA 2-0 in USAV Cup
In this episode of Volley Talk, we take a look at the AVCA Preseason rankings and discuss our thoughts on the Top 8, including who each team lost, who they brought in, and whether or not we agree with their ranking. USA won the U17 Girls World Championship in a dominant fashion, and Canada took...
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VNL Lineup & NCAA Transfer Portal Listener Challenges
In this episode of Volley Talk, we are bridging the gap between VNL and the start of the NCAA season with some fun listener segments! These were really interesting to think about and some were much more straight forward than others! We are curious to hear your takes! If you have questions for us…
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Turkiye & Poland are 2026 VNL Champions, Vargas and Fornal Named MVPs
In this episode of Volley Talk, we are playing catch up on both the men's and women's VNL Final 8 tournaments. Turkiye took home the gold on the women's side, defeating Brazil in 4 sets in the final. On the men's side, Poland and USA went the distance with Poland ultimately pulling out the win in…
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Turkiye & Ukraine Earn Men's VNL Final 8 Berths for the First Time, Canada is Relegated
In this episode of Volley Talk, we discuss Week 3 of the Men's VNL. Japan finished the preliminary round 12-0, and both Turkiye & Ukraine made the Final 8 for the first time! We try to create a men's VNL Dream Team and spend a lot of time dissecting Canada's path to relegation. Will they recover...
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2026 Women's VNL Final 8 is Set- Poland is Out, Netherlands and Canada are In
In this episode of Volley Talk, we discuss Week 3 of the Women's VNL. The Final 8 is set, and while we were close in predicting which teams would make it, our ranking predictions were nowhere close! Canada qualifies for their first ever VNL Final 8, Poland is out, and Bulgaria is relegated. Lots…
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Japan Looking Strong at 8-0 in Men's VNL, Brazil Drops from 1st to 9th
In this episode of Volley Talk, we discuss Week 2 of the Men's VNL. A couple of teams are looking better and better as the tournament goes on and a couple are on a serious decline. The men's competition is always so tight and several matches this week were incredibly exciting. Heading into Week…
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No Undefeated Teams Remain in Women's VNL, USA Sits in Top Spot
In this episode of Volley Talk, we discuss Week 2 of the Women's VNL. Things were all over the place with teams losing and winning unexpected matches. There was a lot of movement, but USA has taken over the number one ranking heading into Week 3! Dominican Republic and France will have to make a...
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Brazil & Japan Go 4-0 in Men's VNL Week 1, France is Struggling
In this episode of Volley Talk, we take a look at what happened during Week 1 of the 2026 Men's VNL competition. As we saw with the women's side, both Brazil and Japan are undefeated and are at the top of the ranks. Cuba and Argentina are still looking for their first win, and France had a rough...
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Brazil & Japan Undefeated After VNL Week 1, Canada & USA Are Up And Down
In this episode of Volley Talk, we take a look at what happened during Week 1 of the 2026 Women's VNL competition. There are only 2 undefeated teams, and Italy's 39-match win streak has come to an end. With 4 new teams in both MLV and LOVB for the 2027 season, there has been an influx of new…
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USA Women Announce 2026 VNL Wide Roster, Perugia Wins Back to Back Champions League Titles
In this episode of Volley Talk, we take a look at the USA women's wide roster for the 2026 VNL. Which players have us scratching our heads and who do we think was missed? Will this roster have what it takes to win a medal this season? Men's Champions League wraps up with Perugia dominating the...
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Hawai'i Wins 2026 Men's NCAA National Championship, Dallas Pulse Takes MLV Title
It was a big weekend for volleyball! MLV finished up their third season, and Dallas Pulse took the title in a win over the Omaha Supernovas. On the NCAA men's side, it was an all-Big West final with Hawai'i taking down UC Irvine in 4. It might not have been the most exciting volleyball we have…
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2026 NCAA Men's Final Four is Set, Vakifbank Takes Champions League Crown
There is a lot to cover in the volleyball world this week! The NCAA Men's Regionals happened this past weekend with one particularly surprising result that not many people saw coming... Women's Champions League Final Four went down in Istanbul with a new champion emerging victorious, and the MLV...
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2026 NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship Preview
In this episode of Volley Talk, we break down the upcoming NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship. With 12 teams participating for the first time and 4 locations for the Regional matchups, this is going to be a really exciting tournament! UCLA, Hawaii, Long Beach State, and Ball State earned the...
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Austin Wins 2026 LOVB Championship with Golden Set Victory Over Salt Lake
In this episode of Volley Talk, we dive into the LOVB Championship that happened this past weekend in LA. Austin and Salt Lake went the distance, with Austin ultimately winning their second straight LOVB title in the Golden Set. We also expand our Fraudulent or For Real game to some recently...
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Austin vs Salt Lake in LOVB Finals, Men's International & Domestic Dream Teams
In this episode of Volley Talk, we talk about the LOVB Playoffs that happened in Louisville this past weekend. For the second year, neither top seed made it to the final. We will be seeing Austin vs Salt Lake in Long Beach this weekend! MIVA upsets have become the norm, Indy and Dallas are the…
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Jordan Larson's Playing Career Officially Comes to an End, Houston Wins LOVB Regular Season
Go to our sponsor https://joinissa.com/sarahpavan to become a Certified Personal Trainer and get $100 off your order! In this episode of Volley Talk, we talk a lot about what has been going on with LOVB this week. The end of an era amid playoff controversy, player suspensions, and more. UCLA men...
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Scandicci Outlasts Fenerbahce in Champions League Golden Set, International & Domestic Dream Teams
In this episode of Volley Talk, we break down the Champions League quarterfinal series between Scandicci and Fenerbahce. This was the only women's quarterfinal to go to a Golden Set, and the level of play was so entertaining to watch! We also make women's Dream Team selections for international...
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MLV All-Star Teams Announced, Crunch Time for Some Teams Heading into LOVB Final Weeks
In this episode of Volley Talk, we take a look at the fan-voted (?), league-determined (?) player-inputted (?) MLV All-Star teams. Basically, we have no idea how exactly these teams were chosen, but we have some thoughts. We also break down some of the longer winning and losing streaks in various...
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Ranking NCAA Women's National Freshmen of the Year, International Transfer Portal?
In this episode of Volley Talk, we look back at the NCAA Women's National Freshmen of the Year from 2010-present. This exercise is a bit tougher than the POY segment we did last week, but we try to rank their collegiate and pro careers. UCLA remains unbeaten after taking down Hawai'i 3-0, Indy…
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Ranking Former NCAA Women's POYs, Hawai'i and Pepperdine Trade Punches
In this episode of Volley Talk, we look back at the NCAA Women's Players of the Year from 2010-present. We have some fun and try to rank their collegiate careers and see how their pro careers stacked up to expectation. Confirm or Deny makes a comeback, and the Hawai'i vs Pepperdine series was a…
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Things are Ramping Up in Champions League & Overseas, Listener Questions Level Up
In this episode of Volley Talk, we take a look at the playoff matchups happening in the Italian leagues and Champions League. We get out our crystal balls to predict how various leagues will finish their regular seasons and playoffs. Will we be correct? The FIVB officially released the rule…
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USA Volleyball Collegiate Training Camp, Where is Kendall Kipp?
In this episode of Volley Talk, we take a look at the invitees to the USA Volleyball Collegiate Training Camp. Who would make our starting 7? Any surprise selections or snubs? Our listeners have been on the same page lately, and many people have been submitting the same questions, which is…
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New Rules in VNL 2026, An Interesting MLV Trade, and Blocking Strategy 201
In this episode of Volley Talk, we go over some of the rule changes we will see implemented in VNL 2026. Some are ok, and some are... not our cup of tea. Grand Rapids and Omaha made a very interesting trade in MLV that has us shaking our heads, and we dive into the pros and cons of some different...
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Champions League, Coppa Italia, and UCLA vs Long Beach State (Plus Serving Strategy 101)
In this episode of Volley Talk, we go over some of the most exciting matches we watched this week, including UCLA vs Long Beach State on the NCAA men's side, Vakifbank vs Scandicci for women's Champions League, and some men's Coppa Italia! There was so much great volleyball to watch and we hope…
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LOVB Picks Up Waived MLV Players, NCAA Senior to Pro Predictions, Would You Rather?
In this episode of Volley Talk, we are all over the map because there was a lot to talk about. LOVB picking up waived MLV players has got a lot of people talking. The Coppa Italia final between Conegliano and Scandicci was absolutely incredible. The US Department of Education found that San Jose...
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Dallas Pulse and LOVB Salt Lake Start 2026 Strong. What Happened to LOVB Houston?
In this episode of Volley Talk, we talk about our favorite and least favorite matches of the week. We also discuss the Omaha Supernovas and their uncharacteristic 3-3 start to the season. Will they bounce back and make a push for the top as expected, or does this team just not have it? Pavan's...
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UC Irvine Upsets Pepperdine, Scandicci & Novara Go The Distance
In this episode of Volley Talk, we discuss two of the best matches we watched this week- UC Irvine vs Pepperdine on the NCAA men's side, and Scandicci vs Novara in the women's A1 Italian league. These matches were outstanding and we highly recommend going back to watch them, especially the…
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Kelly Sheffield's Viral Interview, LOVB Season Preview
In this episode of Volley Talk, we talk about the Kelly Sheffield podcast interview that has gone viral. We had dozens of people reach out to us to talk about it, so of course we had to dive in! Watch the interview on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DxQMCf6b_k Listen to the…
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2026 MLV Season Preview, NCAA Transfer Portal Mayhem
In this episode of Volley Talk, we go over the absolute mess that is the NCAA women's transfer portal. There were some big surprises again, and we see some programs losing big while others are making huge pickups. Winter time also means pro coverage!! We talk a bit about what is going on in a...
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Texas A&M Wins 2025 NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship, Sweeps Pitt and Kentucky in Final Four
In this episode of Volley Talk, we talk about the NCAA Final Four. Texas A&M took down Pitt and Kentucky 3-0 to claim their first National Championship! All-American and Player of the Year awards were announced last week as well, so we have a lot to cover to close the book on the 2025 NCAA…
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2025 Women's NCAA Volleyball Final Four is Set, Texas A&M Shocks Nebraska
In this episode of Volley Talk, we talk about the NCAA Regional Semifinal and Final matches. It was a wild week of volleyball with a few very surprising results, including Texas A&M's victory over Nebraska. The Four 4 is set, with Wisconsin taking on Kentucky and Texas A&M facing off against…
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2025 NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship Rounds 1 & 2, Power 4 Conference Awards
In this episode of Volley Talk, we talk about some of the highlights (and low points) from rounds 1 and 2 of the 2025 NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship. The fact that there are zero perfect brackets anywhere goes to show just how unpredictable some of the results were. We also discuss the...
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2025 NCAA Women's Volleyball Tournament Preview
In this episode of Volley Talk, we talk about the NCAA Tournament bracket and share our initial impressions of interesting matchups and who we think will make it to the Final Four in Kansas City! We also go over some of the top NCAA matches from last week, and talk about what went down in the MLV...
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Volleyball Stats 101, 2025 All-American Predictions
In this episode of Volley Talk, we go over the stats that are posted during broadcasts and the numbers teams looks at when they are preparing for games. With the NCAA tournament selection upon us, we also throw out our predictions for First-Team All-Americans and major AVCA award winners. There...
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ACC Title Battle Will Go Down To The Wire, UCLA Takes First Set Off Of Nebraska Since Sept. 16
In this episode of Volley Talk, we talk about a couple noteworthy matches from last week, namely UCLA vs Nebraska and Pitt vs Stanford. Pitt was up 14-11 in the 5th and managed to lose 14-16! There is now a 3-way tie for first in the ACC with some huge matches happening in the next couple of…
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Coaches' Mood Meter, Listener Question Extravaganza!!
In this episode of Volley Talk, we go through a whole bunch of listener questions. You know we have a massive backlog to get through, so since it was a bit of a slower week on the NCAA side, we decided to dive in and tackle a whole bunch of them. Enjoy! If you have questions for us or topics you...
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Nebraska Is The Only Remaining Unbeaten NCAA Team, Defensive Systems 101
In this episode of Volley Talk, we talk about the two teams who were unbeaten going into this past week of play- Nebraska and Texas. Texas took a tumble this week, losing to both Texas A&M and Kentucky, though, leaving Nebraska alone at the top. What is going well for these teams, and what are...
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A Look at the Big XII Conference Contenders, Offensive Strategy Breakdown
In this episode of Volley Talk, we talk about the Big XII, in particular the handful of teams that are making a push for the conference title. Who do we think really has a chance to win it all? What are the strengths and shortcomings of those teams? By popular demand, we also break down offensive...
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Louisville Falls in 5 to SMU & Pitt, Special Interview with Kathy DeBoer
In this episode of Volley Talk, we talk about Louisville- the good, the bad, and the ugly. The No. 4 team in the country dropped 2 conference matches last week to SMU and ACC rivals Pitt. Are they as good as they're cracked up to be, and what do they need to do to make a push for the Final Four?…
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Penn State Stuns Wisconsin in 3, Miami Pulls the Reverse Sweep on Pitt
In this episode of Volley Talk, we break down the biggest NCAA upsets of the week. A struggling Penn State dominated Wisconsin 3-0, and Flormarie Heredia Colon put Miami on her back and recorded 38 kills on the way to getting the reverse sweep on Pitt. It was a surprising week for sure! NCAA...
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NCAA Power 4 Breakdown, Conference Champion Predictions
In this episode of Volley Talk, we go through the Power 4 conferences and talk about our contenders for conference championships based on what we saw during the preseason and early conference play. Listener questions were really good this week, and there were several interesting matches that were...
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Italy Repeats as Men's World Champion, Defeats Bulgaria in the Final
In this episode of Volley Talk, we talk about the men's world championship playoffs, in particular the semifinals and medal matches. Italy put on a serving clinic against Poland and Bulgaria on their way to repeating as world champions in dominant fashion. Poland defeated Czechia for bronze with…
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Men's World Championship Drama as Powerhouse Teams Fall Short of Playoffs
In this episode of Volley Talk, we go over the wild ride that has been the men's world championship so far. Our predictions from last episode could not have been more wrong, so it's time to go back to the drawing board and try again. Conference play starts up this week in the NCAA, and a world...
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2025 Men's World Championship Predictions, NCAA Surprises So Far
In this episode of Volley Talk, we share our predictions for how the men's world championship is going to play out. With all the parity in men's volleyball, this is a tough task! We also take a look at the key NCAA matchups from last week, discuss the biggest surprises for the season so far, and...
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Italy Wins 2025 Women's World Championship, Completes Olympic, VNL & Worlds Trifecta
In this episode of Volley Talk, we go over the absolutely incredible medal matches from the 2025 Women's World Championship. This was some of the best volleyball we have seen in a very long time, if not ever, on the women's side. Italy extended their world-record winning streak to 36 matches en...
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Women's 2025 World Championship Enters Final Phase, NCAA Season Off to an Exciting Start
In this episode of Volley Talk, we give the rundown of the 2025 Women's World Championships so far. Pool play is finished, the round of 16 is almost complete, and our quarterfinal predictions from last episode did not hold true! NCAA volleyball preseason is also underway, and there have been some...
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Women's 2025 World Championship & NCAA Top 10 Previews
In this episode of Volley Talk, we do some digging into what to expect from the upcoming women's world championships and NCAA season. Both competitions start up this weekend, so there is going to be a lot of volleyball to watch!! If you have questions for us or topics you would like us to…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
The podcast created for volleyball lovers who want to dig deep into what is going on in NCAA and international volleyball.
Hosted by Olympian, World Champion, and former Nebraska Cornhusker All-American Sarah Pavan and her husband, international volleyball coach and stats wizard Adam Schulz, Volley Talk brings you weekly highlights from the world of NCAA and international volleyball.
Sarah and Adam also give insights and opinions on feature matches, as well as some hot takes, sharing their knowledge and drawing on decades of experience playing and coaching the game at the highest level.
HOSTED BY
Sarah Pavan
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Volley Talk with Sarah Pavan have?
Volley Talk with Sarah Pavan currently has 93 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Volley Talk with Sarah Pavan about?
The podcast created for volleyball lovers who want to dig deep into what is going on in NCAA and international volleyball. Hosted by Olympian, World Champion, and former Nebraska Cornhusker All-American Sarah Pavan and her husband, international volleyball coach and stats wizard Adam Schulz, Volley...
How often does Volley Talk with Sarah Pavan release new episodes?
Volley Talk with Sarah Pavan has 93 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Volley Talk with Sarah Pavan?
You can listen to Volley Talk with Sarah Pavan on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Volley Talk with Sarah Pavan?
Volley Talk with Sarah Pavan is created and hosted by Sarah Pavan.
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